


Legs Aren't On The Criteria

by peggy_hamilton



Series: Band Of Brothers Imagines [22]
Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-09-24 04:38:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20352520
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peggy_hamilton/pseuds/peggy_hamilton
Summary: Unlucky for Toye, he gets wounded a lot. Lucky for Toye, you're his nurse.





	Legs Aren't On The Criteria

**Author's Note:**

> originally posted on my tumblr @justthinkingofwaystoavoidbusses
> 
> original request: Could you do one with Joe Toye? Maybe you as a nurse meet him when he’s recovering from one of his many injuries, then spend more time with him once his leg gets blown off? - @luzlicious

“Okay, that should be okay now,” you said as you wrapped a spare bandage into a sling for the soldier, he was bouncing his leg as he sat on the edge of a cot. You could tell he was itching to get away from the aid station and back to the front lines and honestly you didn’t blame him, but his arm was fractured at the very least and you had no idea how it would heal yet.

“Can I go now?” he asked, looking at you with a harsh expression but you were unaffected by it.

“Not yet,” you shook your head and he huffed unhappily, “What’s your name?”

“Toye, Joe Toye.”

“Okay listen to me, Joe. I know you want to get back to your buddies and you can do so, but please at least stay for a night or two before you go AWOL on me because I guarantee you won’t be much help to them with your arm the way it is.”

Joe’s shoulders dropped, “Fine,” he relented and you smiled happily. “What’s your name?”

“Y/N. You can keep this bed for now, I’ll come check up on you in a bit,” you patted his shoulder before walking off to help other men.

—

Night had settled and there was only the light from a few candles lighting up the room, many of the men were still awake but the place was surprisingly calm and quiet compared to how it was in the day. You found yourself gravitating to the cot where Joe was still lying down, you perched on the edge of the bed and he looked over at you, “Still awake?” you asked him quietly.

He nodded and you reached for his arm, “How’s the pain?” you questioned and he shrugged his good shoulder.

“It’s bearable.”

You nodded, “Means it’s not broken.” You slipped his arm out of the bandage and he sat up for you to get better access to it, you pushed up the sleeve of his jacket and pressed gently along his arm, “This hurt?”

“Only a little.”

“So when am I going to have to pretend to not be looking when you leave?”

He smirked, “You said a day or two, so tomorrow or the day after I guess.”

“All I can ask for. You should rest up, it’ll heal quicker.”

“Sure thing, Y/N,” you slipped his arm carefully back into the sling and he lay down, you forced yourself to move from his cot and find a place to catch some sleep.

—

When morning came you were surprised to find Joe still there as you made your rounds, “Thought you’d be out of here,” you raised your eyebrow at him as you checked his arm again.

“What can I say? I like the view,” he quirked a small smile.

You swatted his arm, “Is that how you talk to a lady?” you could barely contain your amusement.

“We’re the middle of a war, no time for beating around the bush.”

You rolled your eyes and shook your head with a smile, “No, I suppose not.” You got called away before anything else could be said, within a second your mind was back to being focused on the task at hand rather than a certain Joe Toye.

—

You were so busy that you didn’t get a chance to go and talk to him again, by the time you were making rounds the day after the cot was empty with no sign that he had ever been there. You sighed heavily but you knew it was coming, part of you hoped that you didn’t have to see him again whilst you were here, the shameful part of you hoped that you did.

—

“Two days in the aid station? Thought you liked us,” Bill teased, elbowing him in the side.

“Where’d you get that idea?” Joe countered.

Bill laughed, “So, any broads? What’re the nurses like?”

Joe shrugged, his mind flashing back to you, “Just nurses.”

“Just nurses? That’s it?”

“I don’t know what to tell you, Bill. I was just trying to find a moment to get outta there.”

—

His leg was gone. Blown clean off. Joe stared at the bloodied bandage that half covered the stump, he felt like he was going to throw up but he hadn’t had any food to do so. His helmet was missing.

Bill was lying next to him on a stretcher, the idiot had jumped out of safety for him and this is where it got him. Cold wind hit his face as they raced through the forest towards the aid station, he was out in the open and he had never felt more exposed in his life. He knew he wouldn’t be going AWOL from this.

It was like a sudden realisation washed over him, it meant he would be seeing you again. On one hand, he’d be seeing you again, on the other hand, you’d be seeing him like this.

—

“We got wounded!”

You were up in an instant and dashing to the entrance to help cart in the newly wounded men, it wasn’t until a moment later when you realised who it was that you felt sick to your stomach. Joe was on the stretcher with his leg missing, you couldn’t dwell on that though, “Bring them back here,” you gestured to the back room, noticing the other man with him.

The medics brought them back and you told them to set the other man down whilst you worked on Joe, “I didn’t think I’d see you back here,” you commented to Joe as you undid the bandage on his leg to try and clean out the wound.

“Well I just like it here so much,” he gritted out and cried out in pain as you poured some alcohol over the end of his leg and quickly pressed a fresh bandage to his leg and tied it off as tight as you could.

“Sorry,” you mumbled to him as you finished up, “Take him out there, bring the next one.”

They set the other man on the table and carted Joe out, you cut off the pant leg off and carefully peeled it away from the tattered remains of the mans leg. “What’s your name soldier?”

“Guarnere.”

“Looks like you’ll lose the leg, Guarnere,” you told him as you took in the shredded skin and bone that remained.

“Surprise, surprise,” he grumbled and you poured alcohol over his leg as well. The surgeon helped tie off the leg and cover it as much as possible, they couldn’t amputate the leg just yet so it would have to wait. Guarnere got brought out into the main part of the building and was given the cot next to Joe’s.

About an hour later you had a chance to go over to them, Joe had shifted so he was facing the wall his cot was propped up against and Guarnere was looking up at the ceiling, “They’ll probably try and get you boys to a hospital as soon as possible. Could be a week or two yet,” you told him, unsure of if Joe was awake or not.

Guarnere nodded, “Thanks. You got anything for the pain?”

You bit your lip and shook your head, “No, sorry, I’ll see if I can scrounge something up later though.”

“Thanks.” You nodded and looked over at Joe, he didn’t move other than the rise and fall of his chest and you deliberated trying to talk to him but settled against it and walked away to find something to do.

—

Over the next few days Joe ignored you as best as he could and you had no idea why, he only ever gave you a small nod of thanks when you brought him food and gave minimal replies when you asked how his leg felt. Apart from that he barely even looked at you.

You didn’t know what had caused this sudden shift of attitude and you weren’t going to lie, it hurt. You were curious as to why, was it something you had done or was it a coping mechanism for losing a limb? You didn’t know and you didn’t want to push him even further away by asking.

—

“So what’s up with you and the nurse?” Bill asked after they had been there for a week and a half.

“What do you mean?”

“Any other nurses come over and you’re fine with them but then Y/N comes over and you shut up. What’s that about?”

“Nothing.”

“Come on, Joe. I know something’s up and you can’t lie to me.”

“Leave it.”

“No,” Bill protested, “She secretly a bitch or something?”

Joe shot Bill a sharp glare, “No.”

“Then what?”

Joe sighed heavily, “I don’t want her to see me like this. Missing a leg.”

“I’m sure she don’t care all that much.”

“What dame wants a guy with a missing leg?”

“So you like her?”

“No shit.”

“Tell her.”

“No way,” Joe shook his head.

Bill shrugged, “Fine, suit yourself.”

—

It had been three weeks since Joe came into the aid station and someone was finally coming today to take all the more serious patients to a proper hospital. “You all ready?” you asked Bill as you helped him sit up.

“As I’ll ever be.”

“I imagine they’ll take your leg off today,” you commented.

He nodded, “About time.” Some medics came over and helped carry Guarnere out and you turned to Joe who would be one of the last to go out.

“Why have you been avoiding me?” you asked plainly, it was now or never.

“What do you mean?” he avoided eye contact.

“I mean what you’re doing now,” you sighed, “Look if I did something wrong then I’m sorry, okay?”

For the first time in weeks his eyes snapped to yours, “You didn’t do anything.”

“So then what was it.”

Joe ducked his head shamefully, “I didn’t want you to see me like this. Weak. Vulnerable. Why would you want a guy like me, can’t even fucking walk now,” he bit out.

“I wasn’t into you for your leg, Joe.”

He looked up at you and frowned in confusion, “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying whether or not you have part of your leg really doesn’t affect me. It doesn’t change your personality any, does it? No. Now I don’t know about you, but I’m fairly sure ‘having a leg’ hasn’t ever been in my top criteria for a guy.”

“Wait do you like me?”

You rolled your eyes, “Yes. Idiot.”

He smiled shyly, “You’re right. I’m sorry for how I acted.”

“It’s okay, I understand. But you have to promise to write from wherever they take you.”

“I promise.”

Two medics came over and asked you if there were any more and you gestured to Joe, they carted him onto a stretcher and you help bring him out and load him onto the truck. “I’ll see you in the States?” you asked, almost hesitantly.

Joe nodded firmly, “I’ll make sure of it.”


End file.
